The body knows
We apply the practice of Somatic Meditation in all our daily activities because it increases our general presence in everything we do and in our communication with everyone.
My partner and I have a misunderstanding. He is convinced of his own view of things and I am trying to explain mine to him. My body is shaking, I am simultaneously overwhelmed by the inability to move because I feel attacked and anger because I need to justify myself. The discussion is over and we have not reached a common agreement, my body is restless. There is sadness in my chest that vibrates strongly, my stomach is sick because I am trying to digest this information, and everything is colored by anger. I let this cocktail shake me, just watching how much electricity this event has produced in my body. I see which parts of my body vibrate more strongly and which have “disappeared”, I see which thoughts appear in response to the present bodily sensations and emotions… While I can be in my body when something very intense is happening, I am safest, as soon as I get caught up in my thoughts I find myself in an endless circle that will exhaust me and will not lead to a sober solution.
Meditation with the body is a training in which we learn to stay in touch with bodily sensations and the pure energy of the body. In doing so, we clearly see what thoughts are awakening but have distance from the story they are serving us. We train clarity and the ability to position ourselves so that we have enough space for choice. We learn how to allow ourselves to feel the intensity of what is happening and let it pass through the body.
The first step is to become aware of the state (which includes thought, physical sensation and emotion), the second is to respect that this state is there but not to blindly believe it. Next, feel the physical sensation itself that is connected to the comments but remain attentive in the body. Every time we react reactively in conflicts, we repeat the same painful patterns. Relationships require patience, understanding and overcoming our original instincts – those that are conditioned by past habits and experiences. We need to break this blind circle somewhere, and with body awareness we will remain in our most honest aspect.
The body is a perfect organism that knows how to handle all the chemicals that are activated in us, it knows how to let go of emotions so that we do not remain entangled in them. The body has a natural tendency to release tension and stress that we can trust. The body cannot lie or pretend, what we feel is the truth that we learn to recognize, accept and express wisely. Through meditation, we learn to trust bodily processes and build the capacity for presence without interference.
Therefore, in conflicts in close relationships, when the most blind part of our reactions is activated, we need to stay awake and strongly hold our space. Let emotions express themselves through the body in the conscious zone, because when we lose the ability to choose, we have lost control. There is a fine line between blocking our reactions and subjective states and expressing them consciously, but in a way that does not hurt ourselves or others. It is possible to set this line and know how to balance it if we get to know ourselves, our conditioning and “weak points”. Again, everything is most concretely and sincerely expressed in the language of our own body, which we feel through direct experience through body meditation.
We apply the practice of Somatic Meditation in all our daily activities because it increases our general presence in everything we do and in our communication with everyone. I recommend guided body meditation with a video from my YouTube playlist – Body Awareness. Let us find a way to more easily understand what is happening to us and to more easily let go of what is difficult for us.
Tena Rebernjak
